Never Look Back
by demtitties
Summary: The best idea Riku ever had was to go to a party where he knew nobody... or so he thought.
1. Chapter 1

Riku had arrived.

The young man, steely eyed and handsome, was not sure why he was here at the gates of a large mansion.

The evening sun was descending, filling the sky with deep dark shades of amber.

A large courtyard filled the distance between a wrought iron gate and an impressive estate, which could hardly contain its sound.

Rumbling bass, rapid beat, and frenetic rhythm were all manipulated by the sure hand of a talented DJ. Add in the scores of screams, shrieks, and yelps and it was obvious that a party was raging inside.

Riku ran a hand through his silver mane, fingers gliding through locks that fell past his shoulders. If he had known the party was held in this kind of swanky manor, he would've worn something more presentable than his yellow vest and blue jeans.

If he went home to change now, there was no coming back. He had come out here on the flimsiest of whims, and not wanting to waste this effort, he quelled his doubts and passed through. He slid the iron bars into place behind him and confronted a well tended yard.

A park was a better term for it, given the wide expanse and smooth pavement that led to the manor. A water fountain in the center disturbed the path, where beams of light and water crisscrossed in the air.

Flat-sided rectangular bushes flanked the road and tall columns of leaves, reaching as high as three stories, loomed over the evening sky. Recessed sockets in the ground illuminated the way forward, drawing him towards an increasingly noisy situation. The ground was trembling.

He wondered if he was the last guest to arrive. There was no one around. Just him and the manor's growing facade. The three story building was modeled after classic aesthetics, with tall thin windows covered in intertwining ivy.

A grand balcony rested above the main entrance with a white plaster rail made of rounded columns that looked like antique table legs stacked in parallel. The surfaces were patterned with discolored bricks ranging from gray to orange. On the rooftop sat sharply angled spires and towers. The windows dimmed on and off with shadowy figures dancing through the light.

Riku ascended the stairway with heavy steps and was met with a monolithic door covered in polished patterns of rich wood. The entrance was wide from the ground but narrowed upwards until it converged into a point above the frame. He pushed the doorbell and wondered if anyone could hear it.

The sound of the door opening answered him.

Riku had arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

Riku waited for the door to swing open, but it never did. He knew he heard something—perhaps the turn of the lock. He gripped the steel door handle and pushed. It was heavier than expected, so he opened it just enough to slip through. His eyes widened. A huge crowd danced before him, slowed by the frenzied flashes of a strobe light. He smirked. His pulse synced to the beat and his stomach felt light with butterflies.

"Welcome to the party!" a feminine voice greeted from his right.

Riku turned. A girl, wearing a white dress that ended well above her knees, smiled back at him. Her blond hair was swept over one shoulder, and her blue eyes mesmerized him into a dumbfounded stare. She was beautiful.

He cleared his throat. "Thanks. Were you the one who opened the door?" he asked.

"What?" She leaned in closer.

"Were you the one who opened the door?" He asked over the music. The smell of her perfume reached him. She smelled wonderful.

"I was. Or at least, I unlocked it for you. You're welcome," she added coyly.

"I'm Riku by the way," he said. "And you are?"

"Naminé. Nice to meet you," she said, holding out her hand.

Riku shook it. Her skin was soft and her grip was firm yet gentle. Riku glanced around the room. Did she come alone? It didn't make much sense that she was alone standing by the door when she attracted so much attention. Then again, she seemed like the perfect kind of person to greet others when they walked in. No one looked more welcoming than she did, and if a girl as beautiful as she was attending the party, that boded well for the rest of the guests. "Is this your party?"

"No. I'm a guest, just like you," she answered close to his ear. "I think the DJ is the host."

The feeling of her warm breath on his ear sent a shiver down his back. His eyes scanned the room again. Two sets of stairs formed a semi-circle around the atrium, meeting on a landing in the middle of the room. There stood the DJ at his table, bobbing his head to the rhythm he controlled. Riku couldn't make out his features. The darkness obscured his view, and the blinding lights made it harder to focus.

He decided to stick by the door a little longer. "Not much for dancing?" he asked Naminé.

She cackled. The sound of her laugh caught Riku off-guard. He expected something a little lighter, but the sound of her cackling grated his ears. "Dancing? No, no thank you." Her eyes turned on all the guests and she shook her head. "I fucking hate parties."

Riku raised his brows. Her language didn't match her appearance. Perhaps it was wrong of him to assume that she wouldn't be crude. "What's not to like?" he asked, trying to keep their conversation going. He didn't quite know why it was so important to him to keep talking to her. He told himself it was the polite thing to do, especially since she was the one to let him in when no one else was paying attention. He didn't want to acknowledge that he was trying to salvage the previous image he had of her.

"The music? The people? God, I fucking hate people too. Half the guys in this room are probably going to commit some form of sexual assault or battery tonight. That's the kind of crowd this party attracts," Naminé said venomously. Her soft face contorted into a scornful glare. She was an example of extremes. One moment she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, the next she was the scariest.

Riku straightened up. Time to find someone else to talk to. "O-Oh."

"You know what I like about loud parties though?" Naminé asked, elbowing Riku rather hard on the ribs. "You can totally fart as loudly and as often as you want and no one will know. Just imagine everyone out there on the dance floor farting right now. I mean, look at this girl here. It looks like she's twerking all up on that guy, but it's way better if you just tell yourself that she's farting all over him." With her mouth, Naminé made farting noises matched to the gyration of the girl she pointed out. She cackled again, this time snorting uncontrollably.

Riku's palm flew to his forehead and he dragged his hand down his face. Appearances can be deceiving, he reminded himself. It was wrong to make assumptions before he knew her, but at least now he knew she was a little on the crazy side. Maybe that's why she was standing alone.

"If you don't like parties, then why don't you leave?" Riku asked a little more harshly than he intended.

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Because we can't, silly."

"What?"

"We can't leave," Naminé said with a shrug. "We're stuck here and we can't leave."

Riku closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That doesn't make any sense. You opened the door for me."

"I _unlocked_ it for you," she said, poking him in the chest. "You opened it from outside."

Riku huffed and gripped the door handle. He didn't know who closed the door after he came in, but he was sure that Naminé was messing with him. He unlocked the door and pulled.

It didn't budge.


	3. Chapter 3

Riku helplessly tried pulling at the door again.

Nothing.

He pulled again and again, each pull strengthening the sound of his erratically beating heart in his ears, but the door wouldn't budge.

_Shit, _thought Riku_._ Now that he thought about it, it was a little strange that there was no one outside nor leaving when he arrived…

_Shit_.

What had he gotten himself into? He had doomed himself to a night full of Jaeger shots, hours of electronic dance music, half-dressed and undignified college girls grinding on each other for attention and sweaty drunks babbling absolute gibberish in search for nothing but a one-night stand.

Unless, of course, all of the above was incorrect and he unknowingly walked into a horror movie instead. If so, one of the guests was bound to be the murderer. He had strong suspicions that it was going to be Naminé. Behind that innocent face of hers was bound to be the soul of an axe murderer.

All of Riku's theories were wiped clean when he felt someone latch onto his arm. His first instinct was to shrug off whatever random—and no doubt intoxicated—bitch just dared to touch him so intimately, but he was surprised to find a young man sporting spiky blond hair and checkered Vans hugging his arm.

"Uh…" Riku started with obvious discomfort.

"This chick won't stop dogging me, man. Can you please pretend to be my boyfriend for like five seconds?" the desperate young man begged. About five feet behind him was a trashy looking brunette in a crop top.

Before Riku could even respond, five seconds had passed, and the young man unlatched himself from his arm.

"Phew, thanks," he said. He then outstretched his arm with a smile. "Name's Roxas, by the way."

Riku awkwardly took his hand and shook it. "Riku."

"And I'm Naminé," the young woman herself interrupted.

"So," Riku started after the two blondes shook hands. "Any idea who the host of this party is?"

Roxas merely shrugs. "Beats me. This is my third time here and I still have no idea who it is."

_Ah,_ Riku thought. So this was going to go Great Gatsby style.

"So it's not the DJ?" asked Naminé.

Roxas shook his head. "Nah, the DJ's name is Neku. His headphones are basically a part of his body. He never leaves his station, so he could never tend to his guests like a good host should. I'll tell you this, though: whoever the host or hostess is hosts some crazy shit. Last time I woke up, I was wearing lingerie and had two chopsticks shoved up my ass."

While Riku twitched at the mental image, Naminé decided to question the obvious.

"Wait, so these doors eventually unlock?"

"Yes ma'am," Roxas answered. "They can only open once someone finds the keyblade."

"The keyblade?" Riku questioned.

Roxas nods. "It's this silver key-like keychain that the host hides somewhere within the house. Whoever finds it literally holds the key to our freedom."

"What was the longest time they were locked?" Naminé asked.

"Last time I heard it was about a week," Roxas answered. Riku's eyes widened. That wasn't going to work for him. He had something important to tend to in four days. He fully had the intention to walk into this party for about an hour or so and walk out unscathed.

_Shit,_ he mentally cursed again.

He had to find that key.


	4. Chapter 4

Riku was hypnotized by the throbbing mass of shadows on the dance floor. Trapped by flashing lasers and blinking lights, they appeared as prisoners sentenced to grind on each other for all eternity in an epileptic nightmare fever. They were oblivious to their plight—or perhaps they didn't care.

"Is anyone even looking for the keyblade?" Riku asked out loud.

"It's the first day, man," said Roxas. "Party's just gettin' started."

Riku couldn't have that—not at all. He had places to be, things to do, and people to disappoint. "Where was the keyblade hidden last time?"

"Um…" Roxas couldn't recall, but affirmed the one detail he could, "Up someone's ass?"

Naminé turned up her nose and scoffed. "Why are you so obsessed with things up your ass?" She wasn't in any position to admonish others about their anal proclivities given her equally as uncouth spiel about flatulence earlier.

Roxas shrugged with a pleasant grin. "What can I say? Shit feels good."

Naminé crinkled a brow. "Are we talking about the same thing?"

"Well... I like it both ways if that's what you mean."

Riku had enough of this cra—shi—nonsense. The first order of business was to find the host, and the best place to start was someplace less crowded. He didn't have the patience to read lips or pantomime past the thick wall of beat drops, bass, and **_WHA_**-**_WHA_**-**_WHA_**-**_WHOMP_** **_WHOMP_**.

He set on a path up the stairs. Perhaps he could escape through a window or something. It took only three steps before he turned to face his newly formed but unwanted contingent.

"What are you doing?"

Roxas smiled obnoxiously. "Following you."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"Because," Naminé started, "I want to get out of here just as much as you do. I didn't realize there was a way out until this idiot said something." She cast a glare at the dancing crowd. "I'm tired of these mouth-breathing dumbass dickbags and slutty-ass bitches."

"Whatever." The more people looking for the keyblade the better, but Riku wasn't too enthused about these weirdos. He considered shooing them away, but they might surprise with an amazing hidden ability to aid in their escape…

Yeah right.

They reached the second floor and turned into a dimly lit hallway awash in neon shades of pink and red. Every door was closed, and despite the overpowering music from the main floor, it wasn't enough to drown out the loud wails and moans—and no, it wasn't because the place was haunted. It was as if they stepped into a tawdry set for a 70's porno.

"Oh, so _this_ is room 69," Roxas blurted, closely examining a gold plaque mounted on a door. "My friend's in here." Unconcerned with the noises coming from inside, he opened the door and walked into a crude but vigorous display of babymaking.

There was a loud gasp, followed by a girl running out the door, and a long sigh from a spiky crimson-haired boy lying in bed. He was naked, but tastefully draped by bed sheets. They didn't have to peek under the sheets to see his peak under the sheets, which was very piqued under the sheets.

"Couldn't you have waited five more seconds?" the boy asked in exasperation. "I was _this_ close to finishing. Now I gotta do it myself." He reached beneath the sheets and fixed a discomforting gaze on Naminé, forcing her to take cover behind Riku. "_Awwww…yeaaaah_..."

Riku and Naminé grimaced at the same time and turned away, their faces meeting on accident. Naminé shoved him on reflex.

"Hey!" He was about to let loose but Roxas interrupted him.

"This is my best buddy. He can totally help us."

The tall, wiry boy shot up from bed, the sheets still stuck to his waist, and offered a moist hand for a shake. "Nice to meetcha. I'm Axel."


	5. Chapter 5

Roxas pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and squeezed some into Axel's open hand.

Riku and Naminé looked at him like he'd grown another head.

"What?" Roxas asked.

"Nothing," Riku said. "I guess it's just weird you have that on you. I didn't take you for a clean… freak? Person?"

"Huh?" Roxas looked even more perplexed.

"Hey, I'm going to a massive house party. Don't know what'll happen, so I better make sure I don't forget my hand sanitizer," Naminé said under her breath. "No matter what happens, I can't get my hands all dirty."

Riku laughed.

"Oh, you people…" Roxas looked at Axel, who had just finished cleaning his hands. "You admit that you enjoy a little ass-play and everyone thinks you're unhygienic."

"Can we focus here?" Riku interrupted. "I'm Riku, she's Naminé. Roxas said you could help us. Is that true?"

"Help you with what?" Axel asked. He gathered his clothes and dropped the sheet, forcing a cry out of Riku and Naminé.

"Leaving, duh!" Naminé yelled from behind Riku.

"You want to leave already? It's the first day." Axel snorted.

"That's what I said!" Roxas exclaimed.

Axel scoffed. "I guess I can help you guys. I've been around the block a few times—eight actually. Somehow it always plays out like this…"

Riku blinked. Axel seemed like he actually had valuable information. "Roxas said this was his third time. Why do you guys keep coming back?"

"I like meeting beautiful people," Roxas said, smiling at both Riku and Naminé. "This party is like a giant opportunity. It also gives you a chance to know them more… intimately."

"We all have our reasons," Axel answered. He was opening every drawer in the room. "If you guys find my phone anywhere, let me know. I wrote some notes down from the last few times I was here."

Naminé started searching the closet before he finished his sentence. It comforted Riku knowing that there was at least one other person just as desperate to leave, especially since the other two seemed unfazed. He walked over to the window and knocked on the glass.

"They're shatterproof," Axel said. "People have tried everything you're thinking of, so don't waste your time. You need the keyblade."

"So the host wouldn't let us out even if we asked?" Riku asked.

"No one knows who the host is, and no one knows if he or she is even at the party. The host is the biggest enigma here."

Riku massaged his forehead. Great. The host was either not in the mansion or masquerading as one of the guests. Riku was starting to think he was part of someone's experiment. Why gather a bunch of strangers and trap them under the guise of a massive party? If this was for the host's entertainment, then they were dealing with one sick individual.

They continued to look for the phone. Riku constantly directed questions toward Roxas and Axel, hoping to find a clue in their previous experiences. Pulling a page out of Axel's book, Riku compiled a list of clues in his phone.

* * *

1) Keyblade: a silver key-like _key chain_ hidden somewhere on the property.

2) The host or hostess will probably try to remain anonymous if he/she is here at all.

3) The longest "party" was about a week (8 days long).

4) The shortest lasted a little more than two days (51 hours).

5) A search party (or several) always forms. We may be that group.

* * *

"Honestly, the first day is the best part. People don't start panicking until the end of the second," Roxas said.

If that was true, then Riku assumed that someone found the keyblade within 12 hours of mass panic during the short party.

"Not necessarily," Axel said when Riku shared his thoughts with the group. "First, the short one is the shortest _we've_ been to. Maybe it's been quicker in years past. Second, just because someone finds the keyblade doesn't mean they'll let everyone go."

"What?" Naminé chimed in, clearly unnerved.

"The person who finds it literally holds the key to our freedom," Roxas repeated. "Some people are more corrupt with power than others."

Axel started searching the bed, which everyone else had avoided in fear of finding something they didn't want to touch. "I was here for the eight-day fiasco and it was some real _Lord of the Flies_ shit. A group of people hoarded all the food and monopolized things like rooms and showers and toiletries. They tried to rule over everyone in the mansion. One of them held the keyblade. That information was widespread on Day 4, but it still took four days to wrestle it away from that psychopath."

Naminé wailed and ran to the corner, facing the walls to fend off a panic attack. Roxas went over to comfort her.

"And yet you still came back," Riku said.

"Found my phone!" Axel said. "Yes!"

Riku walked over, eager to see the information Axel had recorded. Maybe there'd be something more specific, like previous keyblade hiding spots or—

Riku tilted his head. "Is this… is this a sex diary?"

"Yup. You know, eight times and I've never reached a dozen partners in a single party…" Axel said.

Riku groaned.

Naminé whipped around. "Are you shitting—OH, FUCK ME!" she screamed.

"I volunteer!" Roxas said eagerly and a little too quickly.

"Fuck me sideways," Riku said, throwing his arms up in defeat.

"I volunteer as tribute."

For a moment, he'd forgotten whom he was with. For a moment, it seemed as if things were finally turning around and he'd surrounded himself with competent individuals.

Nope. This search party was a ragtag group of weirdos, and he was weird by association.

Riku sighed. "I need real help."


	6. Chapter 6

Riku needed to find a way out before the situation dissolved into chaos. He was not in the mood to be jerked around by the whims of a megalomaniac, whether it was the host or someone lucky enough to find the keyblade.

There were two places where the keyblade could be hiding: on a person or somewhere in the mansion. This meant they had to find out how many people there were and how big the place was.

Since the party was still rocking and guests were constantly moving—either dancing, drinking, or screwing each other, the only realistic choice was to search the house. There was no better place to start than from the top.

From the outside, it was a three story building. Riku was interested in the spires sticking out from the roof. They seemed like prime candidates for a hiding spot.

"You guys want to get high?" he asked.

Axel rubbed his chin. "I can get crazy at parties, but there are some things I don't touch."

"He meant literally, dumbass," chided Naminé.

"You don't have to put it like that."

"You're right. Let me rephrase: he meant it literally, you disgusting, filthy, sex-crazed animal."

"Ouch." Axel folded a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Aren't we all disgusting, filthy, sex-crazed animals inside? Don't pretend otherwise. It's not like you piss squeaky clean fresh water and shit soap yourself. I bet you're just as dirty as the rest of us."

"Now, now," Roxas said, trying to calm the situation. "You have to admit, Axel, you have a bit of a sex addiction."

"You know it!" Axel pounded his chest with pride.

"This coming from a guy with an ass addiction," Naminé remarked snidely. Axel burst out laughing.

"It was only one time!"

Axel slapped his buddy on the back. "Once you take it in the back, you can never go back. Right, Rik—hey, where'd he go?"

"Over there," Roxas said, pointing down the hall.

Riku sighed as they caught up. He was _this_ close to ditching them.

Axel squeezed his shoulder. "What's the rush?"

"I can't believe you'd leave me with these guys," Naminé muttered. "Where were you going?"

"I'm trying to find a way to the third floor."

"Why didn't you say so?" said Axel. "I know exactly where to go. Just follow me."

They came upon a staircase at the end of the hall.

"Why are you going up?" asked Roxas.

"I want to check out those spires on the roof," Riku answered.

Axel shook his head. "I keep telling you, man, those windows are locked tight. We've tried before."

"I'm looking for the keyblade. The plan is to start from the top and work my way down."

Naminé's tilted her head curiously. "Are you seriously thinking about searching the whole house by yourself?"

"I have to."

"Let us help," Roxas offered.

Riku raised a brow. "I thought you didn't want the party to end?"

"There'll be more parties in the future. Besides, I don't think we ever joined the search effort before. We've always waited things out. Right, Axel?"

"Yup. We always left it to the others. Maybe we could like set a record for the fastest party ever!"

"Do whatever you want." Riku climbed up the stairs and the others followed. They entered a new hallway.

"Is there something on the ceiling?" Naminé asked. "You keep looking up."

"I'm trying to find the entrance to the attic. It's gotta be…ah, there we go." He spotted a dangling string, but it was too high to reach. "Can any of you—"

Roxas had already climbed on Axel's shoulders. "Time for the ultimate combo, ROXAXEL, to get to work!" Roxas made various robotic arm gestures for emphasis.

"Something is very wrong with that boy's head," Naminé whispered.

"Hydraulics activated. Get up there and grab pull it down!" Axel yelled, pushing his friend up.

"Roger!" He grabbed the string and pulled it. Nothing happened. "I think it's stuck or something."

"ROXAXEL combo, disengaging!" Axel ducked out, leaving Roxas hanging.

"W-wait!" Roxas gripped the string with both hands and dangled for a few moments before the attic entrance popped open in a cloud of dust. A ladder slid down, nearly hitting Riku.

"Hey, that almost—**UFF**!"

Something else fell from the attic. It was a person covered in dust. The person clambered off and shrank against the wall.

"No, you'll never take me! I'll do anything you say! Just don't kill me!"

And it was another weirdo. Fantastic.


	7. Chapter 7

The creature from the attic was a boy around the same age as Riku. He covered his face with his arms, muttering something about not wanting to die. Riku kept his distance. Weirdo #4 was a blond-haired, brown-eyed walking dust cloud who looked like he hadn't eaten in days.

"Hey, we're not going to do anything to you," Riku said, trying to calm him down. "We only need to ask you a few questions. Are you alri—"

"Get away from me!" the attic boy yelled. He swung his arm out, forcing everyone to jump back, and bolted down the hallway, leaving an imprint on the wall and dusty footprints down the hall.

"After him!" Riku ordered.

Nobody moved.

"What the hell, guys!"

"I am not going anywhere alone with those two," Naminé said, wagging her finger at the two parts of the ROXAXEL combo.

"I don't want to split up! We might lose each other," Roxas reasoned. "Besides, we're the search party. We have to stay together."

"Yeah, I just don't feel like running right now," Axel added.

Riku groaned and ran, following the footprints as best he could. He heard heavy footsteps behind him. _Oh, now they want to run_, he thought.

Just as the footsteps were fading, Riku noticed a dust-covered doorknob on his left. He opened it and stepped into the room. It was a library, about three times larger than the bedroom where they met Axel. Along three of the walls, bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, housing paperbacks to hardcovers to leather-bound volumes of all sizes. The last wall was covered in maps, flags, and banners, with busts of famous philosophers evenly spaced from one end of the room to the other. The room smelled of books and mahogany and lemon, no doubt the scent of a wood-cleaning product.

The boy from the attic was nowhere to be seen.

"Secret passage," Roxas whispered, voicing the thoughts of the entire group.

"Fan out! Start pulling books!" Axel said, following Roxas to the farthest wall.

Riku scanned the room. Not a single footprint was left on the wooden floor. He considered the possibility that they were deceived: if he were running and knew he'd leave dust behind, he'd try to throw off his chasers as well. Riku briefly left the room and checked the nearest doors. None of them looked like they'd been touched by a dusty hand. He returned to the library to see Roxas and Axel playing with a ladder that wheeled along the bookshelf.

"The guy was here," Naminé said, pointing to the closest banner on the wall where it looked like someone had wiped down. "Either they're right about the secret passage or we've lost this guy's trail."

He nodded. At least someone seemed focused.

"Are you guys going to do anything useful or are you just going to play around?" Riku asked Roxas and Axel. "That guy could've known something that'd help us get out of here."

"Oh, we're done," Axel said. He and Roxas switched places: this time, Axel rode the ladder while Roxas pushed.

"We were pulling books when we realized that everything was clean," Roxas said.

"That's because that guy wiped the dust off his hands," Riku said.

"Not the guy—the books! If the books were dusty, it'd be easy since disturbing a layer of dust would still reveal which one he pulled."

"If he pulled one at all," Axel added.

"But the books are clean. Every single one of them! If his hands were dirty, we might've had a shot, but he was smart about covering his tracks."

"Literally," Naminé muttered. "Why'd that little shit have to run…"

Riku was still reeling from the sudden bout of competence from the other members of the search group. He snapped out of it when he heard something clatter to the floor.

Naminé sheepishly placed a rod back on the wall and smoothed out the banner. "He might have pulled it," she said with a shrug. "Just making sure."

Riku walked to the large desk in the center of the room. A few trinkets, small flags, pens, a stack of blank notebooks. None of it seemed important, but Riku shifted everything just in case. He pushed the office chair aside and looked at the open book on the table. "'The Hounds of Zaroff,'" he read aloud.

"More commonly known as 'The Most Dangerous Game.' It's a short story about big game hunting, except the game is humans," Naminé said.

Roxas and Axel stopped playing to stare at her.

"What? I read a lot. Clearly I can't say the same about the rest of you."

"That guy, he said something about not killing him," Riku recalled. "Axel, when you were here for a week, did anyone…die?"

"Not that I know of. Then again, as soon as those doors opened, most of us were out of there. But with the way things went to shit, I wouldn't be surprised if killing was at least threatened," Axel said, joining everyone at the desk.

"You don't actually think…" Naminé looked like she was ready to panic again.

"No," Riku said quickly, "that guy was crazy." _Still,_ he thought, _it's something to keep in mind._

"We could always ask him," Roxas said. "We just need to find him."

"We should just ignore him. Start from the top down, just like you said," Naminé added. She didn't seem like she wanted to find out of the attic guy had reason to run.

"The attic will always be there, but the chance of finding that guy gets smaller every second. It's your call though," Roxas said to Riku.

Riku looked up to see the other three staring at him, waiting for a decision.

Axel placed his hands on the table. "What'll it be, boss?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Let's hunt this bitch down," Riku decided.

"All right!" Roxas cheered while pumping a fist in the air. "Let's get this hunt started. Scooby Doo, where are you?" he asked with his hands cupped over his mouth.

Riku rubbed his temples and began to reconsider his decision. It seemed as if every word that came out of Roxas' mouth reduced both his level of intellect and sanity.

"We're going to have to split up," Riku suggested. Roxas looked just about heartbroken. "We'll cover more ground if we do," Riku explained. "ROXAXEL search the left side and I'll search the right with Naminé. We'll meet back here in five minutes."

"Oh I _knew_ this was bound to happen," said Axel with a disapproving finger. "The 'we need to escape' facade you put up was nothing but a ruse. This whole entire time you were just searching for the opportunity to be alone with little Naminé over here."

"Or maybe it's because I want to keep all my IQ points by the time we get out," said Riku. Naminé would be lying if she said she wasn't even the slightest bit disappointed with his explanation. "Believe it or not, not everything is about sex, Axel."

The pyromaniac crossed his arms with skittish eyes. "All right, but the instant I hear moaning from your side just know that I won't hesitate to join. The more the merrier."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Are you children ready?"

"Ready," Roxas confirmed. "Synchronizing watches."

"You're not wearing a watch," Naminé pointed out.

"I know, I've just always wanted to say that," Roxas admitted sheepishly.

"All right Autobots, roll out!" Axel commanded as Roxas hopped on his back.

"Looks like it's just me and you now," said Naminé. Her hands were now tied behind her back and she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Yeah," Riku replied with much awkwardness. He and Naminé began walking down the dimly lit hallway in silence, every now and then sneaking glances at the other.

The hallway appeared to stretch into eternity, every step just bringing them to yet another set of Arabian rugs and candlelight along the bookshelves. Were they just going mad, or was there the slightest bit of tension between them? And Riku wasn't thinking the angry type.

"Hey, what's that?" Naminé asked as they approached the end of the hallway. Another old bookshelf greeted them upon their arrival. One of the books, light blue in colour, was slightly protruding in comparison to the rest. It was covered in a familiar looking dust.

"Looks like he missed a spot." As Riku reached for the book, his female companion grabbed his wrist.

"Are you mental? This is the part of the horror movie where we grab that book and _die_," Naminé said dramatically.

"Weirdo #4 is in there," Riku reminded. "And I've yet to hear any death screams from the other side, so I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"Weirdo #4? Roxas, Axel... HEY!"

Without further ado, Riku pulled on the book.

The ground shook slightly, and the bookshelf parted into a new passageway. On the other side, nothing but candlelight, water, and floating wooden crates awaited them. Each crate contained a hasty dust-covered footprint that led into the vast unknown.

Riku began stretching. Challenge accepted.

"Wait," Naminé advised. She wiped the remainder of the dust off the blue book and tried to make out the title. "Dragoon," she read out loud.

As Naminé skimmed through the book, Riku didn't hesitate to jump on the first crate, effortlessly regaining his balance before outstretching a hand towards Naminé.

"It says here that the Dragoon is a water creature with no eyes," she explained. "But to compensate for its lack of sight, it has extremely sensitive hearing."

"Oh come on. You don't actually believe that bullshit, do you? We need to chase this guy down before he gets far," reminded Riku. Naminé closed the book and crossed her arms.

Riku offered his hand once again. "Would you rather face the perils of the creepy library by yourself or rub it in ROXAXEL's face that we found Weirdo #4 first?"

With a sigh, Naminé threw the book aside and accepted his offer. Riku pulled her onto the first crate where she came crashing onto his chest. She immediately scurried away when she acknowledged their close proximity.

"I can take care of myself, you know," Naminé grumbled as she dusted off them hem of her dress. "I refuse to play the damsel in distress."

"Uh huh," Riku said, the slightest bit of a smirk playing at his lips.

Naminé then turned her sights to the water. She raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You know, I wonder why he didn't just swim across."

The sound of the water stirring from the distance was her answer.


	9. Chapter 9

"Should we turn back?" Naminé asked, her legs wavering. Floating crates didn't make for the most stable platforms.

"We made it this far," said Riku, "and I'm not about to let our only lead get away."

"When did dust boy become a lead?"

"I thought he was just another weirdo—" Naminé elbowed him and he waved his arms wildly before regaining balance "—watch it! What I'm trying to say is that there's more to his words than plain crazy."

"_Don't kill me _doesn't sound crazy to you?"

"Look at where we are: inside a flooded passageway with a secret entrance inside a library on the third floor of a mansion with no way out. This house holds more secrets than a stupid party game, and I don't like it, I don't like it one bit." Riku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How'd you end up here, anyways? You don't seem like the partying type."

"A friend dragged me along."

"You have friends?" Naminé glared. "Well, it's just that you have an...interesting personality."

She pushed him off and he fell into the water. "Hey!"

"That's what you get for making me weirdo #1."

Riku gripped the nearest crate. "What are you going to do if I get eaten by the dragoon?"

"It doesn't exist. You said so yourself."

He was about to pull himself up when he felt something slither against his legs. He scrambled onto the crate with extraordinary speed.

Naminé raised an eyebrow. "What the heck was that?"

Riku peered over the edge and attempted to see past the surface. "There's something in the water."

"Come on, you can't pull such a cheap trick on me."

"I'm not joking."

"That's not funny."

"Wait, I think I see something. It's coming up!"

"I don't see any—**WAUUGGHHH**!" Naminé fell on her butt and shut her eyes, expecting to be sprayed with Riku's blood as he was eaten in horrifying and gory fashion.

"Oh... It's already dead."

Naminé peeked through her fingers and saw the floating carcass of the aquatic creature known as the "dragoon," which turned out to be a shark dressed up in plastic fins and fake spikes.

Riku shook his head at the tragic sight. "This is what happens when you stick a big fish in a hallway with no food."

Her fear was replaced by sympathy. "The host must have more than a few screws loose."

"Let's get out of here. Thanks to a certain someone, I'm soaked and I need to dry off."

"You're welcome."

They hopped over the crates, following the dust spots left behind, until they reached a solid metal door with a handwheel.

"You can use these to dry off," Naminé said, picking up a couple dusty rags she found in the corner.

"Let me see that." Riku spread out the rags, revealing dusty footprints. "I guess that explains how he erased his tracks." He tossed them aside and pulled his vest off.

"Why are you undressing?" she asked nervously.

"I'm wet."

"You're not gonna get naked on me, are you?"

"I wouldn't give you the pleasure."

"Like I—" Her breath became hitched the moment he took off his shirt.

"Like what?"

"N-nothing." She turned around, whistling nonchalantly. "So you uh...work out, huh?" His body was toned and immaculately sculpted beyond human comprehension. He was...perfect.

"A little bit." He was too wrapped up in wringing water out of his clothes to take notice of her shift in demeanor.

"_Repeat after me, Naminé. Do not. Become. A bitch. I won't be like the rest of those dumbshits at this party_." She took a deep breath and concentrated on the sight of the gray, bloated, floating fish corpse. Calm and peace took hold. Who knew looking at dead things could be so therapeutic?

"Are you going to help me with this door or what?"

She turned around and the mental barriers she constructed crumbled in one fell swoop. "Put on a shirt, you asshole!"

A dusty rag hit Riku in the face. It slipped off, revealing an irate expression. "I'm still drying them out! Look, the faster we open this door, the faster we can get out of here. Now are you going to help me or what?"

"Fine." The two gripped each side of the wheel and turned it slowly. The action made his muscles flex rather visibly.

"I'm doing all the work here," he complained. She could totally see that, not that she was slacking off intentionally to see his body strain and—

Naminé put all her strength and frustration in one forceful push and the door unlocked.

Riku exhaled tiredly. "How the hell did attic boy open this by himself?"

"Maybe it was already open."

"Guess we'll know for sure once we go through." They pulled on the handwheel together, opening the door, and peered into the other side.

What they saw made their jaws drop.


	10. Chapter 10

They were in the hallway again. Riku was positive they never changed directions. "Impossible."

"This doesn't make sense. When did we…?" Naminé walked forward, allowing the book case to close.

Axel and Roxas came running down the hall, worried looks on their faces.

"You guys! Where've you been?" Roxas pulled both of them into a hug.

Riku expected Naminé to push him away, but the hug started to reach awkward levels of long. He didn't mind hugs, per se, but both Roxas's and Naminé's faces were pressed to his chest. He pulled away, having to use extra force to distance himself from Roxas's tight hug.

"Why are you wet?" Axel asked. He waggled his eyebrows. "Was Naminé involved?"

Riku ignored him. "We were just in some creepy water dungeon and we came out the way we went in. I know that doesn't make any sense, but we can prove it." He turned to the book case and frowned. "Naminé, where's the book?"

Naminé, who looked like she was in a daze, snapped to attention. "The what?"

"The book. The one about dragoons."

"It's… on the other side of the book case," she said quietly.

Riku started pulling all the books, but the book case never moved. What happened was real. He knew that, and his wet clothes were proof. But he knew he didn't look like the normal one of the group when he insisted that there was a flooded passage with a secret entrance inside a library on the third floor of a mansion being used by some screwed up host who thought it'd be fun to trap people inside under the pretense of a party.

"Did you find anything?" Riku asked quietly. This mansion was already driving him mad and it was only the first day.

Roxas scratched the back of his head. "Nothing noteworthy, sorry. Just more empty rooms. One near the library has a bathroom with towels if you want to dry off."

Riku nodded, motioning for Roxas to lead the way. He lagged behind, letting Naminé debrief them.

None of this made sense. Riku was sure everything that happened was real, which made everything seem all the more confusing. Before he arrived, he hoped he'd have the story of a lifetime. Now he was starting to think he'd only have a fantastical tale that nobody would ever believe.

The other members of the search group waited in the hall while Riku went to dry off. He entered the bedroom, opened the door to the connecting bathroom, saw someone inside using the sink, recognized him, and promptly closed the door.

Of all the fucking places… no. He was probably seeing things now. Running into that guy was too convenient to be a coincidence. Really though, _here_? Riku pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The sharp pain in his arm reminded him that everything, as ridiculous as it had been so far, was real. He passed the group briskly and said, "Let's look for another bathroom."

The boy he saw in the bathroom came running out. "Riku!"

Everyone not named Riku responded to the call by turning around. Riku froze. He couldn't walk away from this one. That familiar voice tugged him in a way that made him feel weak, and it brought up too many memories he wished he could relive. Nevertheless, Riku put on a smile and gazed upon his personal form of kryptonite. "Sora. I didn't expect to see you here." He averted his eyes and introduced the group. "Everyone, this is Sora. He's an old friend of mine."

"Wait, friend? Aww come on, Riku! We're closer than that!" Sora said.

_We were_, Riku thought. He cleared his throat. "Right. He was my best friend."

"Ex-boyfriend," Sora added.

Everyone waited for Riku to deny it. He didn't. "You're gay?" Naminé asked bluntly.

"Does this matter right now?" Riku asked impatiently. He looked at Sora, who folded his hands behind his head and watched quietly.

"I'm interested. I didn't know you swung that way," Axel said. "Never would've guessed!"

"Okay, why did everyone give me so much shit about ass play earlier?" Roxas asked.

"Riku sees the beauty in both sexes," Sora said with a wink, his words directed at Naminé more than anyone else. She crossed her arms, but her shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Can we focus for a second?" Riku interrupted. "Sora, what are you even doing here?"

Sora looked surprise. "I got an invitation to attend a party," he answered like it was obvious.

"Not here. _Here,_" Riku said, waving his hand. "The third floor. The party's downstairs, so why are you here?"

The group fell silent to watch the exchange. Naminé had an annoyed look on her face and refused to look at Riku, Roxas wore a cat-like grin, and Axel was shoveling popcorn into his mouth from a small container he obtained from god-knows-where.

"I was using the bathroom," Sora said, looking down. He gazed up, puppy eyes in full force. "And I may have been looking for you."

"Aww," Axel cooed. Naminé smacked the container out of his hands, spilling the popcorn everywhere.

"Were you following us?" Riku asked. In his head, he gave himself a pat on the back for resisting the puppy eyes. That used to kill him. Not anymore. Or at least not as much as it used to.

"No, but I've been trying to track you down. Can't believe it worked." Sora sighed in relief. "When I saw you come in downstairs, I knew I could count on you. Truth is, I need someone I can trust to help me with something."

"Help with what, Sora?"

Sora folded his hands behind his head again. "I know this is a weird question, but could you help me find something called a keyblade?"


	11. Chapter 11

Riku sighed and began to rub his temples. Of _course_ Sora was looking for the keyblade. Coincidence? He thought not. This must have been some sick twist of fate or something.

"Hey man, that's actually really funny, 'cause we're looking for the keyblade too," said Axel. "Would you care to help us?"

Sora accepted in a heartbeat and bumped a fist to his chest. "You bet!"

"All right!" Roxas cheered as he threw an arm around Sora's shoulders, a gesture that slightly unsettled Riku. "Weirdo #5 has joined the party!"

"Hey!" Riku snapped. To keep his cool, he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away when everyone turned to look at him. He hadn't meant to sound so defensive. It was just natural instinct.

"Anyway," Naminé started to dissipate the awkward silence. "Sora, right? I'm Naminé, and weirdoes 1 and 2 are Roxas and Axel. Riku is the third."

"Hey!" Riku snapped again.

"Did you happen to see a dust covered boy in the time you were tracking us?" the blonde asked, completely disregarding Riku's complaints.

Sora tapped his chin and thought hard. "Hm, now that I think about it, the shower in the bathroom had been recently used, and there was some dust-like residue on the towels."

"He can't be far then," Axel concluded. A loud _thud _followed by a cry of pain then caught the group's attention.

"The room at the end of the hallway. Go!" Riku commanded. They burst through the door moments later only to find a familiar—and now clean—blond-haired, brown-eyed boy clutching their right foot in pain beside the leg of a coffee table.

"Brought down by a table leg," Roxas observed whilst shaking his head. He knew the pain all too well. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

Before the boy could regain his strength and run away, Axel grabbed him by the shirt collar and shoved him on the couch.

"You're the boy that fell from the attic, aren't you?" Naminé asked. The deranged teen only twitched and hugged himself in response. Now that she got a good look at him, he looked more malnourished than she originally thought, but at least his baby face brought some youth to his form.

"We're not going to hurt you," Roxas assured as if he were talking to a kicked puppy. The boy's muscles visibly relaxed. "What's your name?"

"H-Hayner," the boy stammered.

"All right Hayner, why did you lock yourself up in the attic?" Naminé asked.

"It was the only place I felt safe," he answered.

"Safe from what?" Axel pressed. Hayner only twitched again.

"Can you at least tell us how long you were up there?" Sora asked.

"I'm not sure," Hayner whispered, now rocking back and forth.

"Well do you at least remember when you first locked yourself in there?" Riku asked impatiently.

"I don't know," Hayner answered. "Maybe like… June?" He began hugging himself when everyone looked at him with wide eyes. "Wh-what? What's wrong?"

"Dude," Axel started. "It's October."


	12. Chapter 12

Hayner clammed up and started murmuring "mommy" to himself while rocking back and forth. Any attempts to prod for more information elicited earsplitting shrieks. They had hit a wall.

There were too many people here, and the concentration of dicks was a little too high for Riku's taste, especially when he knew one of them too well. There came a point when throwing more people at a problem slowed things down rather than speed it up. There had to be a way to split up everybody, or else they'd be trapped yapping at each other with nothing to show for it.

"Anyone up for a gangbang?" Axel suggested. Naminé backed up to the exit in record speed. "I'm not talking about you, _princess_. You can watch. I figure we take our new buddy here for a spin." He pointed at Hayner, and the poor blonde froze. "How you guys wanna do this: free for all or tag team?"

"I'm out of here," Naminé said. "I tagged along to get away from the sluts and the whores, but it looks like I just found another group of them." She made a pointed look between Riku and Sora and turned to leave.

"Hey, don't go!" Roxas said, chasing after her. "I'm not like the rest of them. I mean, it wasn't even a guy. It was a one-time thing and the girl wanted to try it out and I just went along with..." His voice disappeared into the hallway.

"Every time I try to start an orgy, it never works. Oh well, my record ain't gonna beat itself. Time to find some new girls...or maybe I should take a nap. I'm feeling kinda sleepy." His voice drifted off into the other exit.

Riku blinked at his good fortune; he didn't have to do a thing. The group fell apart on its own, but there was still one nasty thorn left...

"Guess it's just you and me now, huh?" Sora remarked, resting a hand on Riku's shoulder.

Riku slapped it away. "You're not even supposed to be here."

Sora massaged his hand. "Rough as ever still. Well, I'm here now and we can't leave anyways. Why not make the best of it? It'll just be like old times."

"You can forget it, and don't follow me anymore. I don't want to see you again."

"I figured you'd say that..." Sora suddenly wrapped an arm around Riku and jammed a hand down his ex-boyfriend's pants. He gave Riku's ass a good squeeze before being shoved off.

"The fuck you doing?"

"Just something to remember me by; in case you feel like seeing me again." Sora winked and ran away before Riku could retaliate.

"Goddamnit," Riku said, patting his back pocket. He could feel a sticky note on his butt. "Couldn't he give it to me like a normal person?"

Riku began to undo his belt to reach for the offending note.

"Whoa, hey, whoa!" Hayner shouted, having recovered from his catatonia. "There's no need for that. I was just pretending, okay?"

Riku was unsurprised by his rapid recovery—after all, if he had the presence of mind to wipe his dusty tracks and take a shower, he was clearly alert and clever, so what made him drop the act? "What are you talking about?"

"Look, I'll tell you everything you wanna know. Just don't—I'm still a virgin, man. I'm trying to save myself for this girl I like and—please don't rape me."

"I wasn't going to—okay, tell me everything you know." He might as well take advantage of this misunderstanding before clearing it up.

"They're taking the guests underground and putting them into tubes," Hayner explained nervously. "I don't know what they're doing to them, but all I know is that they never come out. It's weird and I've been hiding from them ever since!"

"Who's them?"

"The guys in the suits."

"What suits?"

"Like, you know, when there's a bad flu going around or something. Kinda like an astronaut."

"You mean a hazmat suit?"

"Yeah! That's it!" Hayner immediately turned quiet, and his eyes went to the floor. "They got her and I just ran away...but, I didn't know what else to do!"

First keyblades and now people in tubes. What else was next? Riku loosened up his belt and reached down his pants.

"Dude, I told you everything I know!" Hayner brought up his hands to ward off an imagined assault.

Riku ignored the blathering idiot and looked over the note that Sora had so lovingly slapped to his ass:

_Your favorite spot_  
_in the basement_

Aside from the bad joke, did Sora know more than he let on? If there was an entrance to an underground area, it would probably be through the basement. Riku buckled his belt and grabbed Hayner.

"NOOOO!"

"Calm down, you idiot. I want you to show me where these tubes are. That's all."

Hayner opened his eyes cautiously. "Promise?"

"I promise."

"You better not be lying."

"I'm not."

"Okay, I'll do it, but only on one condition."

"What is it?"

"When we get there, will you let me go?"

Riku thought about it. "Yes."

"And one more thing."

"What now?"

"Just...stand in front of me. I don't want you behind me."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Okay, but how are you supposed the lead the way?"

"I'll just tell you!"

Riku let out a long sigh. This was going to be annoying. "Fine."


	13. Chapter 13

Hayner didn't make any conversation outside of orders. Turn here. Down these stairs. Through the door on your left. The journey lacked the constant chatter that Axel and Roxas brought along and the snarky comments muttered under Naminé's breath, but Riku somewhat welcomed it.

He did as Hayner ordered and found himself in the kitchen. Hayner gathered an armful of fruit and stashed them in his pants pockets. He peeled a banana and scarfed it down so quickly that Riku wondered if he had a gag reflex. Months in an attic clearly affected a person.

"Can we get to the basement from here?" he asked Hayner.

Hayner nodded and peeled another banana. "Go to the adjacent dining room. There's a candelabra on the mantle. Rotate the middle candle."

Riku raised a brow. "Isn't there a basement door?"

Hayner's eyes went wide. He shook his head so fast that his features blurred. "No no no no no. If you go in through the front, they'll see you!"

"Well you're coming with me to the dining room. I know this mansion has got some weird things going on, but I want to be sure this turn-the-candle thing is legit."

"You said you'd let me go," Hayner whined.

"After you show me the tubes you allege exist," Riku reminded. "Come on. Stock up and eat on the way, but we need to get out of here as soon as possible, right?"

They entered the dining room. A long table stretched from one end to the other, large enough to seat more than two dozen people. "This is the sort of table you see in horror movies," he mused aloud.

"Oh please don't say that," Hayner said with a whimper. He shuffled over to the candelabra he'd described earlier and turned the middle candle. The wall under the fireplace opened slightly. Hayner gave it a push, his hand flying back to his body like the stone burned his skin.

"Follow me, okay? You can go as soon as we see the tubes." Riku ducked into the small space and dropped onto a rocky floor. HE felt around, hoping his eyes would adjust to the dark. "Is this a cave?"

"Sshhhh! Just go straight," Hayner whispered.

Riku couldn't see a thing, but kept moving forward. He didn't walk very far before Hayner said something.

"Wait, stop! Watch—"

Riku lost his footing before Hayner finished his warning. He fell a small distance and landed on his back on a metal grate.

"Son of a…" Riku groaned. He pushed himself up and took out his phone. He needed light. Grateful that he had a waterproof case, Riku shined his phone around. In a panic, Hayner swatted it out of his hands.

"Don't! You can't!" Hayner said.

Riku picked up his phone and turned off the light. "It'd be nice if you told me this stuff before—"

There was another pair of heavy footsteps clanking against the metal grating beneath their feet. Riku heard Hayner gasp and felt a push as Hayner ran by. "Run!" Hayner attempted to whisper.

Riku had no choice but to follow. They weren't trying to hide their presence anymore and Hayner thought they needed to run, so Riku ran with him. Sure, Hayner was paranoid as hell, but Riku thought he'd err on the side of caution. They ran in the darkness until they reached a door. Hayner must've known how to open it because the next moment they were standing in a bright white hallway. Riku shielded his eyes and adjusted to his surreal surroundings. He could've sworn he was running in a cave the moment before. This hallway was so white and pristine and modern that it was a little disorienting.

"No! No please!" Hayner screamed.

Riku turned around to see Hayner crumple to the floor, twitching in tandem with a loud clicking sound. A figure wearing a black cloak stood at the end of the hallway, a gloved hand outstretched and gripping a taser. The cloaked assailant started running at Riku.

"Oh shi—" Riku barely had time to react, but he deflected the punches thrown at him. The attacker kicked, aiming at Riku's midsection, but Riku pushed it downward before it could connect. He leapt back and raised his fists, his palms left open in front of him. "Wait," he said, "who are you and why are you attacking us? Just what is this place and what's going on here?!"

The cloaked figure—Riku was almost certain it was a girl, based on the diminutive stature and small fists—kept attacking, this time connecting with a sweeping low kick. Riku landed on his back. The attacker was on him quickly, pressing a cloth against his face.

Riku felt a rush of panic. Then he felt nothing at all.


	14. Chapter 14

Riku woke with a start. He was in bed, and looking around, it seemed he was in a hospital room. There were no windows and everything was so white, he could barely make out the door. There wasn't even a knob.

It took a few moments for his brain to catch up. He was at a party, met up with weirdos, looked for tubes underground, fought against cloaked strangers, and—seriously, what the fuck is going on here? Maybe it was a delusion and this was where he was all along, dreaming life away in a box.

He kicked off the sheets and swung his legs over the edge. He looked down and was glad to see his clothes hadn't changed. The idea of being changed by someone else was embarrassing..and kinda scary. He stood up and his legs buckled, and he grabbed the bed to steady himself. The room was spinning.

"I'd take it easy if I were you," a distorted voice said. It was clearly altered. Riku searched the room frantically for the source. "Relax, big boy. The anesthetic is wearing off. Wouldn't want you to fall and hit your head on the floor now, would we?"

"Who are you?" Riku asked weakly. His dry throat was unprepared for speaking. He found a glass of water by the bed and downed it.

"Oh, I'm just your average everyday disembodied voice. We all need someone to say good morning to us when we wake up. It's just good manners."

"It's morning?"

"Yeah. And the party's still going on upstairs. Can you believe that? These kids, I love it! There's so much energy and life. It really takes me back to my days…"

"What's going on? And why am I here?"

"I guess you can sit there and listen to me talk on and on but some things are better seen than explained." The door to the room slid open. "Go on."

Riku stood up again, and even though he felt weak, he had enough strength to move on. He put one hand against the wall and locked his gaze on the door.

"See you on the other side," the voice said with glee.

Riku shook his head in frustration. Whatever was beyond that door better give him some damn answers.


	15. Chapter 15

Nothing was ever straightforward with this mansion. Riku sighed. Why did he even bother expecting something that would actually help him? The room was pretty much empty. No grand reveal of the source behind the distorted voice, no creepy room filled with surveillance feed on all the guests, and no answer as to why this party took place in this particularly freaky venue. There was just a table, one lone table in the middle of the room, with a stupid key—

Wait.

Riku walked up to the table. No doubt about it, this was the keyblade Roxas had described to him earlier. He picked it up.

"Congratulations," the voice said. "You found the keyblade!"

Riku checked under the table and found a walkie-talkie duct-taped to its underside. He took it. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"You asked why you were here. To answer your question, I just wanted for you all to put on a good show for me. It's terribly fun to see how each party turns out. Human beings are already such nasty little creatures, so haven't you ever wondered how they'd react if you threw them into a giant box and shook things up?"

"I can't say I have," Riku responded dryly.

"Right. So unimaginative," the voice chided. "You're so hell bent on getting out of here. Did it ever occur to you to have fun? Everything is free for crying out loud! Why would you want to leave?"

"I don't take kindly to people who want to detain me against my will when I've done nothing wrong," Riku answered.

"You sound pretty spoiled to me. Most people would gladly spend at least partying and having fun, and you're so eager to see it all end," the voice whined.

"Most people out there don't know what's going on."

"And you think that makes a difference? Even when people know what this party's all about, they keep coming back. Your little mission to get out of here isn't noble. You're just being a party pooper."

"You had a kid hiding in the attic for _months_ out of fear!"

"That was _not_ my fault. He went where he shouldn't have gone. He could've easily left earlier, but no, he had to stake out under the radar. By the way, thanks for bringing him to me! I am very grateful," the voice said sincerely.

Riku wanted to land a solid punch to the face and/or gut of the person on the other end. "What did you do to him?"

The voice didn't respond for a while. "I will no longer answer your questions," it said flatly.

"Whoever you are—"

"You're holding the keyblade—or a replica of it, at least. It's not the real one, but I made it for you. Whether you choose to listen or not, I'm going to give you instructions on how to get out of here. I've decided that I will no longer let you ruin my fun, so I'll give you the out you want."

Riku fell silent.

The voice continued, "Do you see the door in front of you? It will open into a long hallway. At the other end is an elevator, and you'll be able to use that faux-keyblade in your hands to activate it. The elevator will bring you up to the garden, and you'll be free to walk out from there."

"What about everyone else?"

"The elevator will be deactivated permanently two minutes from the moment I unlock it. The elevator will also deactivate if you open any other door along the way. If you want to leave, you are to do nothing else but that. You do not try to find your new friends. You do not try to bring anyone else with you. You do not pass 'Go' and you do not collect $200. You go away and never look back."

"You need to let everyone else go!" Riku tried to reason.

"The choice is yours. You leave like you wanted, or you deny this opportunity, be a good subject, and rejoin the party. I sure hope you decide to stay. No one has ever passed up a good party, and if you leave, you'll miss out on the ending—which, of course, is determined by the guests. I wonder what will happen this time around…"

Riku clenched his fists. He was being manipulated and he knew it. This host was making him choose between his freedom or the freedom of the guests. Could he walk away knowing that they might be trapped for several days?

_They'll get out eventually._

_But who knows how long that will be? Who knows what could happen?_

_Regardless of what happens, some will voluntarily come back._

_Some won't. Some don't want to be held captive here. _

_They're enjoying themselves._

_You can't just leave them._

_They are not your responsibility._

His internal argument was cut short when the voice spoke again. "I'm unlocking the door now. You might want to hurry. The hallway's pretty long!"

"Wait!" Riku heard a loud mechanism before the door before him slowly swung open.

"I look forward to your choice, Riku. Put on a show for me!" the voice said giddily.

_Screw it_, Riku thought. He dashed out the door and sprinted down the hall, getting to the elevator as quickly as possible. He inserted the keyblade into a small slot on the wall and turned it, which opened the elevator doors.

He stepped in.

He was doing the right thing.

He was getting out of here.

He lifted his finger and left it hovering over the button. He was getting what he wanted, but could he leave everyone behind?

"I'm going to hate myself for this."


	16. Chapter 16

"—and I swear, the chick was just into some really weird S&amp;M shit so she grabbed a dildo, forced me on my knees and…"

Naminé growled as she downed another shot at the bar. For the past hour or Roxas had forcibly glued himself to her side and screamed every gory detail of his not-so-fantastic sexual endeavor over the music. She wasn't sure if she drank to forget about the whole hostage thing or to drown out his story. When her companion began describing the pace at which his sexual partner at the time butt fucked him, she leaned more towards the latter.

"Okay Roxas, for the last fucking time, I get it!" she screeched, but he didn't comprehend a single word that came out of her mouth. Naminé groaned and slammed the glass back down on the bar with so much force that it nearly shattered into a thousand pieces.

For the first time in her twenty years of existence, she craved the presence of a certain red-haired pyromaniac. Maybe then Roxas would divert his attention onto someone else.

Naminé sighed. Why did she think it was a smart idea to leave Riku's side? Clearly he was the only sane one among everyone she'd encountered, and he certainly didn't behave like a slut or a whore. And she had to face it: the boy was fine as fuck. How could she let him slip past her radar? Perhaps she was just searching for a dramatic exit at the time, hoping that somehow, someway, he'd follow her.

But instead she got stuck with ass boy.

_Fuck my life,_ she thought bitterly. Just as she was about to ask the bartender for another shot to drown her sorrows in, a warm hand fell on her shoulder followed by the sound of very heavy breathing.

"R-Riku?" she squeaked. His widened eyes looked as if they'd seen everything, as if he were the freed prisoner from Plato's _Allegory of the Cave_.

"You all better be thankful motherfuckers," he said hoarsely.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm here to help all of us get the fuck out of here."


	17. Chapter 17

A big toe poked through a little hole. His socks were chewed up. Hayner had lost count of the number of times he woke up with rats nibbling at his feet. The blonde wore dusty garments that once resembled clothes. He hadn't taken a bath in days, and the last time he tried, it was cut short by pursuers. He barely escaped with a towel.

With great reluctance, he slipped his foot from the tattered gray fabric and wrinkled his nose as a cheesy stench snuck into his nostrils. Maybe that was what drew the rats. He looked like a hobo, but was far from homeless. He wished he was. Anything was better than being trapped in this godforsaken attic.

His lone connection to the outside world was a tiny window he could barely fit his head through if the glass actually budged. No matter what he hit it with, it stood strong. The most he got was a scratch. It offered him a view from above in one of the spires. He could only stare as life went on without him.

It was supposed to be an unforgettable night where he would finally get together with his longtime crush. Instead, she was snatched away by strange men in suits and he found himself in the longest game of hide and seek. Perhaps he should've let himself be taken.

No. He shook his head and drew his knees closer. He didn't know what happened to the people in the tubes. They could be dead for all he knew. All he wanted was to go home—his real home—not this creaky prison with rats for roommates.

He heard a sound. It was different from the winds or the rattling pipes he had grown accustomed to. It was the screeching of a heavy door and it seemed to reverberate throughout the entire mansion. His breathing quickened and his hands started to shake. It could only mean one thing:

It was starting all over again.

He began rocking back and forth. This would be the third time. The first time was when he walked into this party filled with the false hope that something amazing would happen. The second was when he tried to escape. He thought he could slip through with so many people around, but it was when the party was raging when it was most dangerous. He had realized something horrible during his last escape attempt.

Most of the people in the party didn't come.

They were already here.

Yet, new visitors were constantly invited to the next party. With so many people going missing, why didn't anybody notice? Only Hayner knew the horrifying truth, because as far as the outside world was concerned, nobody went missing—including him.

He could never forget that day when he tried to escape, because the one who ended the party by finding the keyblade was none other than Hayner. Not the one rocking back and forth in the attic, but someone else, a doppelganger, an imposter…

A nightmare.


	18. Chapter 18

Roxas recognized most of the people on the dance floor from his last foray. It was, after all, his third time in this mansion, yet he was no closer to figuring out the force behind this sinister façade that targeted unsuspecting young adults.

It was pure dumb luck that led him to Naminé and Riku. He didn't recognize them, and their reluctance to join the party caught his attention. They were new potential victims. If he couldn't find the mastermind this time around, he was at least going to keep these two safe. It wasn't impossible to escape unscathed. He just had to be around to protect them. So when he overheard them talking about how they wanted to leave, he inserted himself into the conversation, told them what he knew, and formed the beginnings of the search party.

Roxas created his persona on the fly. He wished he spent more time thinking about it so he wouldn't have to spend the rest of the time pretending he'd been sodomized (a warped version of his last experience when he was floating between life and death with two knives stuck in his side). As strange as it was to pretend to be someone else, Naminé and Riku seemed to accept him, and as long as he didn't blow his cover, he'd run with what he established.

The first order of business was finding Axel. Axel had been on this case, codenamed Castle Oblivion, much longer than Roxas had. Roxas was sent as back-up under the assumption that two agents would solve the case faster, but Roxas's presence hardly improved the situation. On top of that, there was worry that Axel was growing disillusioned with his mission. Unbeknownst to the redhead, Roxas was also ordered to keep his partner grounded.

Roxas knew he was failing part of his mission when he found Axel with one of the guests. Despite the slip-up, Axel was a professional and became someone else too. He joined their search party, something he knew Axel never did in the past. The search party group was a stone left unturned, and perhaps it'd be the path they should've taken all along.

Interestingly, Riku seemed to be quite motivated even compared to search parties of the past, so Roxas followed his lead.

Then the boy from the attic happened. That guy had to know something—he probably knew more than Roxas and Axel. When the guy got away, Roxas gently suggested that they should find him. What he didn't anticipate was splitting up. It would've been fine if the split involved him being with either Riku or Naminé, but clearly he had gone overboard with the background he made up. He secretly prayed to Kingdom Hearts that Riku and Naminé would be safe without him.

Alone with his partner, Roxas used the opportunity to talk to Axel seriously.

"Axel, are you alright?" he asked as they searched a bedroom.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just wondering," Roxas said. "You've been at this longer than I have. I'm just making sure you're still here, ready and willing and capable."

"We're closer to figuring this out than ever," Axel said quietly. "Let's get this over with once and for all."

Roxas nodded. No more victims. This nightmare was going to end for good.

When the time came to meet up, Roxas was relieved to find that Riku and Naminé were okay. Their reunion lasted until they finally caught Hayner. As soon as Hayner revealed that he'd been trapped in the mansion for months, Roxas and Axel looked at each other and thought the same thing:

_This is way over their heads_.

"How about a gangbang?" Axel suggested, knowing it'd piss everyone off. It worked. Naminé bailed on the group, and Roxas followed her, talking her ear off with whatever he could think of. As he left, he looked at Axel. _Follow Riku_, he wanted to say, and Axel nodded like he understood.

Perhaps it was a mistake to give Riku and Naminé so much autonomy over their escape. But Roxas made the choice to involve them. He and Axel were going to keep them safe—they weren't going to be trapped or afraid to leave like Hayner was. They were going to get out, and Roxas was going to make sure they were getting out alive.


	19. Chapter 19

In the middle of a spotlight amidst the darkness, Naminé stood before a hooded figure that emerged from the shadows.

"Is it secret?" a voice, undoubtedly male, asked in a dramatic fashion. "Is it safe?"

"Yes," Naminé answered. "Do you want to know where it is, Dumbledore?"

"Okay, first of all, that line was ripped off from _Gandalf_," the voice informed, "and second, no, I don't want to know where the keyblade is. I'd rather you surprise me, although I sincerely hope you didn't hide it up someone's ass this time round. How _did _you get it in there without that kid knowing?"

"I have my ways," Naminé answered simply, proudly.

"I don't doubt it. I do expect a good show from you, Naminé," said the voice. "However, I have heard from a reliable source that there will be not one, but two undercover agents trying to cut the fun short tonight."

"You want me to find them," Naminé concluded. "Sounds easy enough, although I doubt that they'll find the keyblade anytime soon."

"Better to intercept them sooner than later before they form a larger search party," the voice advised. "I just hope you don't fail me like that last girl did, Naminé."

"Olette was infatuated with one of the partygoers and was incapable of assuming a consistent position," said Naminé bluntly. "I will not fail you."

"Good. Now go. It's party time."


	20. Chapter 20

Hayner watched the courtyard from his dusty perch as hapless prey was lured in one at a time. Despair cloaked his shadowed form. It didn't matter how loud he yelled or how he hard he banged the glass. No warning would reach them.

The sounds of partying were too irresistible. Anyone unfortunate enough to be passing would be curious. Since the gates were left wide open, it was an open invitation to all but the most introverted. Even then, there was an allure for the lonely, an opportunity to break the pattern of desolation and fill the void.

That was how he got here. Who was it that invited him? The memory had long gone fuzzy—no, it was too clear—the only part that was fuzzy was the most important. He recalled waiting by the gates after school, frustrated at his inaction and cowardice. It was his routine to watch her leave. She was always on time and he would debate whether to approach. He never did.

"_You like her, don't you_?"

The question came from another student, and this was where memory failed him. He could place no face, no voice, no appearance—only those inviting words.

"_There's a going to be a party next week. She's going to be there. Why don't you come? You just might find the courage you've been lacking_. _Plenty of drinks to go around_. _It'll be a great time. Promise!_"

The mysterious encounter ended just as soon as it began, and he was left with a scrap of paper with an address. He could only imagine that was how most people came to be here. They were looking for something to satisfy the gaping hole in their hearts.

And that something sure as hell wasn't the keyblade.


	21. Chapter 21

"Hey, don't go!" Roxas said, chasing after Naminé. "I'm not like the rest of them. I mean, it wasn't even a guy. It was a one-time thing and the girl wanted to try it out and I just went along…"

He followed her closely, prattling on and on about whatever obscene, dungeon-porn inspired sex act he could think of involving anal penetration. Apparently his character was a _freak_ in the sheets, tied up or not. He wanted to slap himself. This poor girl must've thought so lowly of him.

They descended to a lower floor, and Naminé led him down another long hallway with more doors on each side. She stopped at one and opened it. A bedroom.

Roxas stopped talking. This was an… interesting development. Roxas the character found Riku and Naminé attractive. Roxas the agent recognized that Riku was an attractive guy, but not in the same way that he saw Naminé as an attractive girl. He recollected his thoughts. Now wasn't the time to lose focus.

"It seems my stories have affected you," he said teasingly. "As crazy as my past experiences have been, I still ask that you be gentle."

"No. Whatever you're thinking, no. Not in a million years," Naminé said.

Roxas shrugged, though he did wonder if she'd be singing a different tune if the character he created was more in line with what he was actually like. Nevertheless, he stuck to it. "I wasn't the one to lead us to a room. You're sending some very mixed signals, Naminé."

"Well then let me make myself very clear." Naminé stepped into the room and put her hand on Roxas's chest, keeping him from coming in. "It's late, I am stranded in some fucked up mansion, I was just pulled around on some wild goose chase, and now I need some sleep. I don't care what the hell you do, but you are not going to be in the same room when I can't readily defend myself."

Roxas cringed. He definitely went overboard with his persona. "I would never do something so deplorable! I'd be content to watch you sleep."

"Ew. Just don't. I'm already trapped in a real nightmare. I don't need any more fuel for the sleeping kind."

Roxas sighed. It'd be better if he could keep an eye on her at all times in case anything crazy happened, but she'd probably be safe in the room. "As you wish. I'll sit out here until you wake up, guard the door for you."

"And I'll tell myself you won't be there when I wake up," Naminé said.

"Sweet dreams, Naminé." He blew her a kiss. "You complete me," he mouthed.

"Ugh." Naminé slammed the door in his face.

Roxas rested against the wall and slid down, chuckling quietly. When this was all over, he was going to buy this girl a coffee to not only debrief her, but apologize for being such a strange kid. She was going to take a lot of bad memories away from this place. He hoped he could have a role in helping her heal when it was done, and he'd start by deconstructing the persona he'd built to protect her.

As the minutes passed, Roxas became more aware of how tired he had become as well. It was then that he noticed how quiet this area of the mansion was—he couldn't hear the music or feel the bass that seemed to reverberate throughout the entire property. Naminé must've kept that in mind when she stopped on this particular floor. Smart girl.

He leaned his ear closer to the door. Nothing. It was as if the room was soundproof too. She must've fallen asleep already.

"Guess I'll rest up myself," Roxas whispered. He closed his eyes, letting his fatigue pull him into slumber.


	22. Chapter 22

Hayner's forehead bumped against the glass.

"Ow…" Eyelids fluttered as consciousness returned. His own face greeted him. He drew back in shock, his head hitting the flat board behind him. "OW!"

Panic stabbed at his chest until he realized it was just a reflection, and not an impostor. Calm came in bits and pieces. By the time his heartbeat steadied, he figured out where he was.

Inside a glass tube.

Leading Riku down here was the biggest mistake he made. Why didn't he run away? A series of cold metal shackles held his naked body against a panel that rotated slowly. He felt like a pig being roasted upright. Outside, he saw rows and rows of similar test tubes, every one of them filled with naked bodies, but there was one frightening difference. Their tubes were filled with water. Were they dead?

The panel suddenly stopped, granting him clear view of his neighbor.

"Olette!" Her naked body floated gently inside. There was no shame or embarrassment in the moment, only despair and confusion. He strained his muscles under the shackles but there was no escape. His movement was sealed.

A hydraulic hiss filled his ears and the cold touch disappeared from his wrists and ankles. He fell forward and braced himself with his forearms. He turned around in time to see the panel sink into the floor with mechanical precision.

"What the—" Hidden spigots in the ceiling unleashed a torrential spray of liquid. He recoiled from the cold splash and scrambled about in panic, banging his fists against the glass. He tripped and fell into the pool.

It wasn't water. It had a strange smell and taste, and there was no drain in the tube. The level was steadily rising, and he would soon join everyone else in their drowned slumber.

He remained on the floor with stark resignation. There was nothing he can do except accept. His vision blurred as the liquid rose above his head. If he was going to die, at least it would be with the sight of Olette. He willed all his concentration on her lovely form as the liquid pushed viciously through his throat. His lung were filling up. His vision was fading.

Just as he was about to black out, she opened her eyes.


	23. Chapter 23

Had he not been a light sleeper, Roxas would have missed Naminé when she left the room.

She moved quietly, but the door creaking open was enough. He felt her pass by and reached out.

"Going somewh—" He grabbed a handful of something that was not her arm, which in his half-asleep state he thought he could grab without looking, and received a slap across the face. If he wasn't awake before, he was now.

Maybe he didn't need to protect her. Naminé had one mean backhand.

"Are you freaking serious?!" Naminé shrieked. "You pervert!"

"I'm really sorry about that," Roxas said, moving his jaw from side to side. His cheek stung, the prickling feeling lingering and seething on his skin. "But you shouldn't go anywhere alone."

"Like I'm any safer with you," Naminé said, power-walking down the hall.

Roxas groaned and pushed himself to his feet. He checked his phone. It was morning. He could've used a few more hours of sleep, but like most jobs, he couldn't sleep through his.

"Naminé, wait."

"Why, so you can grab my ass again?" Naminé shot back.

"I tried to grab your arm, sorry," Roxas apologized. "Listen, that won't happen again, I swear. Just let me stick with you. If we're trapped here, wouldn't you want to spend that time with someone you know?"

"I don't know you and you don't know me," Naminé said curtly. "You especially don't know anything about me."

"So we should totally get to know each other, right?" Roxas asked, putting a smile on his face.

"I'm leaving. Good bye."

"Hey!" Roxas followed her down the stairs. The music was louder now. The party, just like in visits past, never stopped. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting a drink."

"This early?"

"You sound like that's the weirdest thing you've heard in a while. You get trapped in mansion parties with freaky libraries and secret passages often?"

Roxas shrugged. "Done it at least twice before," Roxas said mirthfully.

To his surprise, Naminé smiled. She continued down the stairs. "Touch me again and I'm going for your family jewels. Keep a safe distance and I don't care what you do," Naminé yelled over her shoulder as they approached the bar.

Back to work. Roxas racked his brain for another story to tell. "Speaking of balls—my goodness, do I have a story for you. Have I ever told you about this one time with—"

"Kill me."


	24. Chapter 24

The sound of glass shattering filled Hayner's ears. Light flooded sight as water was forcibly expelled from his lungs. The dazzling smile from one emerald-eyed redhead emerged from the blinding whiteness.

"Rise and shine," his savior greeted.

Hayner replied with an intense coughing fit. He twisted his body, doubling over as lungs burned. It felt like someone took a cheese grater to his throat.

"You okay there?" Concern was followed by a couple pats on the back. "Take it easy."

"I'm—**ACKGH!**" Another coughing fit seized him. It took a few minutes before the fit settled. Might've coughed up a piece of lung there. Hayner wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You're…"

"Axel."

Hayner squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the stinging sensation to pass. As the aching grew numb, he took stock of his situation. Judging from the glass shards that littered the floor, it looked like Axel busted him out of the tube.

"You good now?"

Hayner nodded weakly.

"It's a good thing I followed you and Riku."

"…_why_?" Hayner's voice was raspy.

"Let me officially introduce myself." Axel stretched out a gloved hand. "I'm Axel, secret agent."

It was a limp handshake. "Secret agent? From where?"

"Sorry, but that's a secret." Axel helped the boy up and slung an arm around his shoulder. "I woulda busted you out sooner, but I got distracted by all the tits and dicks hanging out."

Hayner's eyes widened. "Are they—"

"Everybody's alive. That water ain't water. Must be some sort of…amniotic fluid."

"Emny-what?" Hayner suddenly recalled the last thing he remembered. He turned to the adjacent tube and expected to find Olette. It was empty. Did he imagine it?

"Can you move your legs?" Axel asked.

Hayner nodded dumbly.

"Good. Cause we gotta get outta here before someone notices I just busted one their tubes. "

"What about…Riku?"

"I lost track of him. My first priority is getting our asses topside. If we make it out of here, it's gonna be one helluva story. I'm sure Roxas is gonna be happy with the news. We're one step closer to finding her."

"Finding who?"

"One of our own. Don't know if you've met her, but her name's Xion." Hayner's body tightened up. "Hey, what happened?"

"I… I think I've met her before."

"You did? Where?!" Before Hayner could answer, a loud siren began blaring. The alarm was triggered. "Shit. Never mind. Let's get out here quick!"

They moved as fast as they could through the rows of tubes with bodies floating in suspended animation. The lights went out suddenly, leaving only a pulsating red bulb placed above the exit to illuminate the way. The sudden darkness gripped Hayner's heart. "This isn't good, this isn't good!"

"_That's right..._" a mysterious voice declared. "_You're in my element now_." The voice seemed to come from all directions.

"Damn it." Axel let go of Hayner. "Can you make it to the exit on your own?"

"What are you doing?"

Axel answered by pulling out a weapon from his jacket. It looked like a spiky Frisbee. "Didja forget who I was? That's a secret. Now get out of here!" Hydraulic doors emerged from the sides with a hiss of steam. The exit was slowly closing. There was no time to waste. Hayner fled like the wind. "Get back to the party and find Roxas! Tell him what you know and—"

That was the last thing Hayner heard before the door shut behind him.

He was on his own now...

Again.


	25. Chapter 25

Hayner scrambled through a series of dim hallways with only sirens to light the way. Adrenaline had pushed him past his limits. If he stopped at all, he would drop. Fear and obligation propelled each step. He couldn't let Axel's sacrifice be for nothing.

Everything was going wrong. No, it was wrong from the start. He had to make things right. He had to find Roxas. Too long had he kept his eyes shut. The only way to escape was to confront the truth, but he couldn't do it alone.

The possibility of help had arrived with Riku, but by shunning them, they paid the price. He couldn't make up for what was lost, but he could stop this madness from spiraling out of control.

The exit came into view, a bright opening at the end of the hall. Just a little more. Eagerness led to mental lapse, and he tripped on his foot, fell forward, and scraped his knees. All semblance of energy evaporated with the impact against the ground. Only will was left to sustain movement. He stretched out an arm and clawed the floor, dragging forward by increments.

"Hayner."

He looked up and what little will remained was extinguished.

"O-Olette..."

She was clothed in a white medical gown and seemed to glow with the bright light behind her. With each step, she became more real. She lowered herself to her knees and grasped his hand gently. "I'm sorry."

Any doubt about her being real was dispelled by warmth. He squeezed the frail hand with all his might. "We have to get out of here."

"I'm sorry for bringing you into this," she said.

"What are you talking about?"

"I… My role was to bring you here."

"Why?"

"Because we had to."

Hayner's limp hand slipped from her grasp. He couldn't fight back even if he wanted to. But because it was her, he was willing to resign. If he was going to die, at least it'd be with someone he loved—even if that love was an illusion. "Are you here to take me back?"

"No."

He lifted his head with renewed hope. "Then what?"

"There's only one way I can make it up to you." She bent over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "I'll help you escape." He struggled to get up but she gave him the energy needed to make the last push. He was glad.

"Thank you, Olette."

"Don't thank me yet. There are others like me out there, working to keep everyone from leaving. Unless we band together, we won't make it out."

"I know someone who can help."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. There were two of them, I think. One of them saved me and the other is at the party. They were secret agents of some kind."

"It sounds like they can really help us. This is my—our last chance here. Let's hurry up and find them."

With newfound vigor, Hayner and Olette walked through the light with hope and despair in their hearts.


	26. Chapter 26

Hayner felt entitled to the truth. He had spent more time here than anyone—at least, anyone who wasn't in a tube.

He and Olette had escaped the lab and were now wandering through a network of underground access tunnels. The passageways were made out of cracked concrete. Faded yellow stripes ran along the walls.

Olette seemed to know her way around. He decided to put his faith in her. If she was going to betray him, she would've done by now.

"What's going on here?" he asked. "What are they doing to those people?"

Olette tried to think of a way to explain it. The true answer was endlessly complex, but to put it simply, "They're trying to create the perfect society."

"What?" Hayner was blindsided by the answer." How?"

Olette faced him seriously, and her unnerving stare made him sweat. "Do you think people can change?"

"Y…yeah?"

"Then you'd be wrong."

"I don't get it."

She resumed leading the way. "You don't have to."

He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "I saw myself out there! I've been here for months and nobody, not even my family, searched for me. It's because I'm not missing am I? What are you doing with those people?"

"Nobody's missing," she explained dully. "All those people in the tubes... They're just placeholders."

"Placeholders?! What are you talking about?"

"This house is the only place where people can truly change. We're talking about real progress, about moving civilization forward by accepting what's necessary for us to evolve. It's true that we've taken people in, but that's only because the process takes time. When it's complete, the placeholder returns and the real person is released back into society the same way they got here."

"Through the party."

"And finding the keyblade is a part of it."

"I don't…" Hayner grabbed his head. None of it made sense. "I don't get it. What does the keyblade have to do with anything?"

"It represents everything. Once the subjects have undergone the process, they must complete the last stage of their conversion through a practical live exercise: the search for a better tomorrow. The keyblade represents the future and freedom. It's a simulation that mirrors our reality. Once society's ugliness reveals itself, only then does the need for change become reality. Do you understand now?"

But if that was true, "Then all this time I've been running away…was a waste?"

Olette offered a sad smile. "You could've been home by now."

He fell to his knees. "Then why didn't you take me back?"

"I felt sorry for you. You were afraid of things you couldn't understand. Most people, given the chance to change, never accept it. They'd rather die than change. We remove that from the equation. I believe what we're doing is for the better good but…it may not be the right way."

She reached out her hand and pulled him to his feet. She led him by hand through the passageways.

"The keyblade search is a test, you see. There are two groups: those who have been invited and those who have gone through the process. Without exception, the changed group has always found the keyblade first. It showed us that society cannot change on its own, but in a way, the test was unfair."

They reached a doorway.

"Society has always ignored the warnings signs until it's too late, which is why we've taken matters into our own hands. But even if society as a whole doesn't pay attention, perhaps the few that do can change everything. You, Riku, and everyone else may have chance to break the cycle and show them another way forward. That's what I want to believe. That's why this is where my help ends."

"What—"

Olette hurled him through the door and shut it.

"You'll have to do this on your own. Goodbye."


	27. Chapter 27

Riku didn't want to do this, but he had no choice. His conscience wouldn't allow him to abandon his new "friends."

More importantly, he didn't appreciate being toyed with. He wanted to find out who was running this show and expose everything that was going on.

Riku had a feeling he had stumbled onto something big. Aspirations of a memorable party night were long forgotten in favor of an ambitious attempt to unearth this wicked mystery. And the key to this conundrum was the keyblade.

Riku turned away from the exit and went the other way, towards the mansion. The light laugher of that distorted voice over the speakers followed him gently until distance forced it to fade. It still echoed loudly in his mind. Keeping laughing, Riku thought, it'd just give him more motivation.

He pressed on as the faint sounds of partying magnified in the empty hall. At the end of the dark passageway was a door. He pushed it open and light overwhelmed him.

He was back in the mix; smack dab in the middle of a raucous dance floor with a DJ spinning turntables center stage. The door shut behind him on its own. He tested the knob. Lock. There went his last chance of a clean break. No bother. He'd be out of here soon enough.

His eyes scanned the crowd quickly. He needed the find someone to help. There! He spotted Roxas with Naminé at the bar. Already off to a good start. He moved fast, sidestepping the scores of moving bodies and crashed their little conversation.

"You all better be thankful motherfuckers." His voice was still weak. "I'm here to help all of us get the fuck out of here."


End file.
